Josh Rizzo stories, Page 29
Fox Chapel notebook: Hall of Fame class announced
Seven individuals and one team are being honored as part of the class of 2023 for the Fox Chapel Area Schools Sports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony and banquet at scheduled for June 3 at the Harmar House in Cheswick. The team being honored is the 1995-96 Fox Chapel...
Penn Hills grad Yasmine Logan finding comfort, success at Ohio U
Building relationships and the ability to maintain them is something Yasmine Logan came by honestly. The 2020 Penn Hills graduate learned through life communication is easier when things are direct. When Logan went to Ohio University to play softball, not much changed about her approach. When things need to be...
Penn Hills grad heads south to continue college baseball career
Josh Zambito ventured up to the University of Maine for a semester, but didn’t find the right fit, so the 2021 Penn Hills graduate decided to hit the transfer portal. Zambito’s journey took him to Motlow State Junior College in Tennessee. After a strong fall, Zambito committed to Mississippi Valley...
Fox Chapel senior able to ‘relearn how to pitch,’ get team into playoff contention
Leading up to the Fox Chapel softball team’s season, Hunter Taylor knew the Foxes had a young roster and would need someone to step into the circle and do a lot of pitching. Despite primarily playing her first three seasons at shortstop, Taylor was asked to step back into the...
Fox Chapel senior reaches milestone, helps girls lacrosse team come together
Standing behind the goal provides Lindsay Scheffler with the right look at the field. The Fox Chapel senior girls lacrosse player is always looking for the best route to getting a shot on goal. Having developed the right vision has helped Scheffler knock down milestones. Scheffler recently topped the 100-goal...
Shaler sports help scholarship winner from Venezuela expand horizons
Alexandra Valentina Navas started learning how to speak English from Google Translate. Over a year-long process, Valentina Navas had many teachers, including Axl Rose. The Shaler senior moved to Etna from Venezuela in the sixth grade and quickly started learning how to adapt. Valentina Navas learned a new language by...
Penn Hills volleyball looks to build foundation with improved technique
Will Piccolino knows setting the standard for the Penn Hills boys volleyball program isn’t going to revolve around his players suddenly finishing highlight-reel kills. The Indians are in the process of laying the foundation for getting in position to make those types of plays possible. Penn Hills recently picked up...
Penn Hills senior relies on simple, effective approach on mound, at plate
Penn Hills senior pitcher/first baseman Kenny Boyle has a simple pitching philosophy. He’s a one-two-three guy: He throws a fastball, curveball and slider. When Boyle, who is committed to play at Penn State New Kensington, is on the field, he tries to pitch to contact. “It’s all about not walking...
Led by veteran doubles team, Shaler boys tennis ends long playoff drought
Nolan Le knows he doesn’t have to wait for Shaler coach Brian Duermeyer to circle back to his doubles match for advice. Le can lean on partner Ethan Opiela to point him back in the right direction. “I always start slow and we drop a few games,” Le said. “Ethan...
Fox Chapel notebook: Aidan Oehrle hits leaderboard for Lehigh
Aidan Oehrle helped the Lehigh men’s golf team pick up a win at the ABARTA Coca-Cola Collegiate Invitational on April 17 in Easton. Oehrle shot a 4-under par 140 to lead the Mountain Hawks. During the final round, Oehrle made two birdies and also recorded an eagle to tie for...
Fox Chapel baseball’s successful season built on sound defense
Jack Resek didn’t believe the Fox Chapel baseball team welcomed a break in the Section 1-5A schedule. But the senior designated hitter didn’t believe having four nonsection games in late April would do much to change the Foxes’ approach. Fox Chapel, which was 6-5 overall and 6-2 in section as...
Penn Hills track plans to use invitationals to prepare for postseason
Lee Zelkowitz is excited to see the Penn Hills track season heat up. Where the Indians will really excel is with their relay teams. Penn Hills competed in a triangular meet with Gateway and Plum in early April and is gearing up for the invitational part of its schedule. The...
Penn Hills softball looking to shuffle lineup into winning hand
Ashley Banner would be the first to say that Penn Hills softball’s result against North Hills wasn’t what the team hoped to get out of the contest. For the second straight game, Penn Hills was on the wrong side of a lopsided loss. What the results have highlighted for Banner...
Part-time player Will Siegel of Fox Chapel makes noise on WPIAL tennis scene
Will Siegel’s entrance to the season for the Fox Chapel tennis team first requires him to dig his racquet out of the closet. Due to Siegel’s commitment to the Foxes basketball team, which qualified for the PIAA Class 5A tournament and had the season extend into March, he usually doesn’t...
Fox Chapel girls lacrosse looking to make pieces fit
The Fox Chapel girls lacrosse team is searching for better ways to support each other. When it comes to trying to earn a spot in the WPIAL playoffs, the Foxes have been focused on making sure things run smoothly from top to bottom. Fox Chapel wanted to rebound quickly from...
Penn Hills baseball works to up batting average with new approach at plate
Attempting to surge up the standings won’t be something the Penn Hills baseball team will be able to do by standing pat. Haunted by a lack of offensive production, the Indians have had a hard time getting out of the season’s starting blocks. Stuck with a .194 batting average as...
Penn Hills gearing up for 1st girls flag football season
After trying track at a younger age, Penn Hills junior Asya Murray had fallen out of team sports as she got older. Recently, though, Murray found a sport that piqued her interest. “I’ve always been interested in football,” Murray said. “I go outside and play with my family.” Penn Hills...
Tough section could make for unpredictable season for Fox Chapel softball
Fox Chapel softball coach Chris Olbrich thought his team’s results in the first week of April reflected how things would be in Section 1-5A play all spring. Coming off a double-digit loss to first-place Shaler, the Foxes turned things around totally to hand a hot Penn Hills team its first...
Fox Chapel lefty works to keep hitters guessing
Jeremy Haigh is consistently working on his sleight of hand, but the sophomore pitcher for the Fox Chapel baseball team isn’t practicing a magic act. What he is trying to cobble together is a repertoire of pitches that will keep batters bamboozled in the box. Haigh doesn’t want to let...
With breakout hurdler, good roster numbers, Penn Hills track ready for successful season
Achan Green doesn’t think about the timing anymore. The Penn Hills junior hurdler knows when he’s on the track, he is able to tackle each step with the right approach. Before last season, Green didn’t do the hurdles much. However, whenever Green gave the event a go, he qualified for...
In peak form, Penn Hills fitness team qualifies for national championships
The Penn Hills fitness team has continued to pile up an unprecedented number of accolades over the past few months. In March, Jaydn Wright became the first male athlete in program history to finish in first place in back-to-back events. Wright finished with 470 points out of a possible 500...
Plenty of potential on Fox Chapel track teams
The Fox Chapel track and field programs hope to find a way to bring put the puzzle pieces together at some point. The Foxes have plenty of potential on both the boys and girls side but will need things to fall right in order to find success. For the boys...
Fox Chapel notebook: Jake Pilarski finds success in spring training with Dodgers
Fox Chapel graduate Jake Pilarski got the most out of his spring training with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Pilarski, 24, signed with the Dodgers in December after spending two seasons with the Washington Wild Things in the Frontier League. Pilarski was able to add some zip on his fastball, allowing...
With sustained success, Shaler boys volleyball sheds underdog label
Zac Wurzer isn’t disappointed that the Shaler boys volleyball team can’t hide behind its previous identity as scrappy underdogs. The Titans have become a perennial contender for WPIAL and state success. What will be different this season is the Titans will carry the expectations that come with sustained success. Shaler...
Shaler softball expects tough early schedule to pay dividends
Tom Sorce didn’t want to see the Shaler softball team have a schedule full of guaranteed wins. The Titans softball coach asked the athletic director to give the team a nonsection slate full of games that would provide a test. What Shaler got was a schedule full of opponents from...
